Recent progress in the deactivation mechanism of zeolite catalysts in methanol to olefins

Methanol to olefins (MTO) as an important reaction in C1 chemistry can effectively transform non-petroleum carbon resources into value-added chemicals. Zeolites have been widely used as MTO catalysts. However, they usually suffer from a rapid deactivation due to bulky coke species production, and thus require continuous regenerations in industrial application. The key to design and develop highly stable zeolite catalysts for MTO process is to unravel the deactivation mechanism and clarify the structure–performance relationship of catalysts. Here, in this mini-review, we investigate the critical intermediate species inducing zeolite deactivation and analyze the formation and evolution pathways of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are the precursors of carbonaceous deposits. In addition, some methods to alleviate the coking mainly including acid regulation, morphology modification and process optimization, are also summarized.